Cooperation Agreed Between the Serbian Orthodox Church and Yad Vashem

The Serbian Orthodox Church’s delegation headed by Metropolitan Amfilohije started off the third day of its visit to Jerusalem by serving a joint Holy Liturgy with the Metropolitan of Tabor, Metodije, and the brotherhood of Jerusalem on Golgotha, where Christ was crucified. As Metropolitan Amfilohije pointed out, this was the best place for commemorating all victims of war, past and present, the place where the Lamb collected and elevated to Resurrection through the Cross all innocent victims.

In the following morning hours they visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust History Museum. It was agreed with Mr. Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Directorate of the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Rembrance Authority, to continue the cooperation with the Serbian Orthodox Church, which has already had 40 of its experts attend regular seminaries in this center. These people will apply the experiences gathered during their struggle against fascism and antisemitism in their research of crimes perpetrated in Jasenovac and other WW II extermination sites of our area, as well as in their expertises on the last misdeeds committed in Kosovo and Metohija.

It was agreed that they be invited to the Congress which is to take place at Yad Vashem in July 2008, having as an objective the preparation and realization, in cooperation with the hosts, of a series of field-related lectures and scientific presentations to be held at Orthodox Church theological schools in autumn.